The Town of North Hempstead occupies the northwest part of the county. Its Supervisor is Judi Bosworth, a former Nassau County legislator, who was inaugurated on Jan. 1, 2014. A Democrat, she succeeded Interim Supervisor John B. Riordan, the former Nassau County Surrogate, who served since the resignation of Jon Kaiman on Sept. 23, 2013 to work for Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Bosworth is the fifth consecutive Democrat to head the former Republican stronghold since Ben Zwirn was elected in 1989.

History

The area was first settled around 1643 and became part of the town of Hempstead. During the American Revolution the southern part of Hempstead was primarily Tory, while the northern part, having been settled by Yankees, supported the revolution. Following the war, the Town of North Hempstead was split off in 1784.

According to the "Our History" series in the Long Island-based newspaper, Newsday,

North Hempstead became more affluent with the opening of the Long Island Rail Road through to Great Neck, and the inauguration of steamboat service from Manhattan in 1836.

The town of North Hempstead is made up of 30 incorporated villages that had the right to set zoning restrictions to protect their rights and resources. No new villages have been created since 1936, when a revised county charter denied zoning power to future villages. There are also some unincorporated areas in the town of North Hempstead that are not part of villages.

Research Tips

External Links

Outstanding guide to North Hempstead family history and genealogy resources (FamilySearch Research Wiki). Birth, marriage, and death records, town histories, cemeteries, churches, newspapers, libraries, and genealogical societies.

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